Drawn Into Ruin

Print edition updates: @Qiqi's A Bite of Time

[Black-hearted, sweet-talking big shot X manga artist older woman]

Blurb:

1. Xu Jialan has a stunning face, but she's hopelessly obsessed with the world of anime and manga. Her favorite characters are all kinds of adorable younger guys in comics, and she's been single since birth for over twenty years.

Her best friend is exasperated with her: "Are you planning to be alone forever?"

Staring at a freshly released handsome-man comic, she answers absentmindedly, "Why would I date when the younger guys in manga are so charming and the older men in novels are so sweet?"

It seems heaven heard her wish.

The son of one of her mother's friends needs a place to stay. An intruder is about to invade the shut-in's anime-and-manga world, and she fights with all her might to resist. But when he shows up at her door, she falls for him.

The man has kind, gentle features and radiates an exquisite, chaste air. He's even more beautiful than the cute younger guys in her manga, like an angel fallen to earth. "Sis, can I stay at your place?"

"Come on in. You can stay as long as you like."

Xu Jialan is so dazzled she can barely think straight. She eagerly opens the door and welcomes this "angel" inside.

2. A gorgeous younger man walks straight into the tiger's den and delivers himself to her doorstep. It's like rain in a drought, or help arriving in a snowstorm.

Gradually, Xu Jialan starts to feel that something is off.

She's forced to go on blind dates, and one after another, her potential matches are exposed for having sordid private lives.

One night, she has such a good time she doesn't come home until dawn.

The beautiful younger man fixes her with a deep gaze. "Did you have fun, Sis?"

His long, pale fingers hold a cigarette, making him look sexy and captivating. He could hardly be more different from his usual self.

Xu Jialan swallows. "I-it was okay."

"Not fun enough?" The man drops the cigarette and wraps his lovely hand around her waist. "That won't do."

That day, Xu Jialan is introduced to a whole new world. Tears make her realize how wrong her assumptions were, and that she really did let a wolf into her home.

3. They say the young master of the Gu family, who has never shown his face, is a cold, unattainable man with no worldly desires.

After hearing this, Xu Jialan kicks the man lounging beside her away. "So that frail, helpless little puppy act you put on when you first came to my house was all fake?"

"Am I not helpless enough for you to push me over?" The man bites her lip. His eyes take on an innocent, harmless look as he murmurs, "Sis... I want to kiss you."

He has completely mastered all the adorable little acts she loves.

Every cell in Xu Jialan's body is screaming to push him down. A cute little puppy is so pitiful and easy to bully. What could he possibly have in mind?

Both are first-timers in love. Manga artist older woman X black-hearted gaming company big-shot younger man.

Blurb registered on October 20, 2021.

The Seventeenth Day, When the Gods Did Not Sleep

[Well-mannered scion of a powerful Beijing family X bold, no-nonsense campus beauty]

Song Anru believes in one thing: "With no man in your heart, you can draw your sword like a god."

She's been single for twenty years and never wavered.

As if to test her, a new student arrives at school. He's 188 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He's languid and carefree, and one careless glance at him is enough to make anyone swoon.

They cross paths during the welcome event, and rumors start flying. Everyone thinks they're together, but neither of them cares.

Song Anru has only one thought: His shoes are really nice.

Those in the know say the rumors aren't true.

The new student is the most doted-on heir of the Shen family of Yunjing. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and a face so stunning and aloof it could topple kingdoms. He seems gentle, but he's not at all what he appears to be: cold and utterly heartless. Countless wealthy young women have pursued him, and not one has succeeded.

After the CP fans accept reality and scatter, they're suddenly force-fed a heaping dose of affection.

One day, the two argue on campus, and Song Anru storms off without him.

Shen Nanchen lazily follows behind her. He tries to coax her for a while, but it doesn't work. Seeing her puffed-up cheeks, he can't hold back his laughter as he says, "One frog has one leg, and someone's a petty grump. Two frogs have three legs, and someone's still a petty grump. Three frogs have no legs, and someone's got a frog's mouth from being so mad..."

"You're the one with a frog's mouth!" Song Anru interrupts him, eyes red with anger. "What frog has legs like that?"

"Frogs don't have legs like that, so someone's not a petty grump after all." Shen Nanchen gently rubs her hand with his, wearing that captivating face. "I'm the petty grump. Song Anru, you're such a generous person. Can you forgive me this once?"

Song Anru's anger vanishes in an instant. "Fine, fine."

Beauty is a dangerous thing.

[Bonus Scene]

After they get together, Shen Nanchen asks her one day, curious: "You were single for so long. What made you get together with me?"

Song Anru looks him over and answers with satisfaction, "I like you."

Shen Nanchen: "You like my face that much? What was your first impression of me?"

Song Anru falls silent.

Shen Nanchen raises an eyebrow. "Is it hard to say?"

"I didn't pay attention to you as a person," Song Anru says. "The shoes you wore that day had me completely dazzled."

Shen Nanchen: "..."

Theme: Pursue your dreams, and pursue love.